PR Strategy Criteria Checklist

Does the staff already have the skills necessary to do it? (If not, will it take them long to acquire those skills, or can you find someone else to do it?)

Do you have the equipment/materials necessary for the project?

Are there any budgetary constraints? Do you have enough money (even if that means enough money for postage for sending out 50 press releases)?

Do you have enough information to do it? (Will you need more information? Where will you get it? How long will it take?)

Is it something that most everyone on the staff will accept?

Will it be exciting? Will it generate a lot of staff involvement and give you something back in return?

Does it Reach the intended audience? Will you be getting the most for your time and money?

What do you expect to get from this particular strategy? What would stand in your way? What can you do to prevent failure? Is it the right strategy for what you want to accomplish?

Does the Strategy fit the need (for example, if you need the elderly to learn more about your organization, holding a press conference to announce that may not be appropriate)?

Can this strategy be combined with other strategies to make a more solid campaign? (eg. one major theme running through posters, brochures, press releases and public service announcements)

Have you ever done it before? If not will that present problems?

Is it the most effective use of your time and energy?

How many people will it reach? What will be the extent of the contact with your audience (in other words, will they listen to a full half-hour interview program vs. seeing a poster and only catching a glimpse of your name)?

Will it buried with hundreds of other citizen group media strategies (do you need to think up more original strategies and approaches? Are these the only strategies appropriate?)